In recent years, the United States Army has embraced a doctrinal concept known as the digitized battlefield. One aspect of the digitized battlefield is a high rate of data processing and electronic communication among a network of users, some of which are often vehicles speeding across unfamiliar terrain. Typical vehicles in the network are tanks, reconnaissance vehicles or armored personnel carriers. These vehicles use the network for tasks such as tracking all friendly units simultaneously or immediately giving these units tactical data acquired by one vehicle. Information from the network is displayed on viewing screens or computer monitors at the commander""s station of the individual vehicles. Particularly during intense tactical events, vehicle commanders need to watch the viewing screens constantly.
A problem exists in some vehicles if the vehicle""s commander stands up to look outside the vehicle. The commander then can not see information on the screen. This happens because the screen is fixedly faced horizontally toward the commnander""s head as he sits. When the commander stands the viewing angle is too poor for him to read the screen. One solution for this is to install new screen mounting brackets in vehicles that allow the screen to tilt up when the commander stands. This solution allows the screen to normally occupy minimum space as it lies flat against an inner vehicle panel, and yet allows the screen to be tilted on demand. A specific example of such a solution is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,511 to Pfister. In Pfister, a mounting plate is fixed to a panel inside the vehicle. A frame plate is hinged to the mounting plate and has the screen mounted thereon. Swinging of the frame plate out from the mounting plate tilts the screen so the vehicle commander can see it while standing. A guide plate is hinged to the mounting plate and to a slide plate that translates on the frame plate. The attachment is such that all the plates together form a triangular configuration when the screen is tilted but these plates form a flat configuration when the screen is not tilted. The slide plate accommodates part of the relative motion among the plates as the screen is moved. A latch on the stationary plate engages either the slide plate or the mounting plate to lock the screen in either the tilted or non-tilted positions.
The present invention is an improved bracket for mounting a relatively flat screen or other relatively flat visual display device in a combat vehicle. The mounting is such that the screen can be moved from a vertical orientation to a tilted orientation in order to address the problem described above. The present invention differs from Pfister by eliminating the slide plate and thereby economizing the design. The present invention also uses a different latch system, which eliminates guiding a latch member into slots as Pfister does, and is thus deemed easier to use.
The invention is a mounting bracket that includes a base plate fixed to an upright panel inside a combat vehicle. A carrier plate connects to the base plate so that it swings and vertically translates on the base plate. The carrier plate has a view screen mounted thereon, so that swinging the carrier plate away from the base plate will tilt the screen. A bridge plate is hinged to both the base plate and the carrier plate. A latch subassembly is disposed on the carrier plate. The subassembly has a finger that locks to either a tang on the bridge plate or a tab on the base plate. When the finger locks to the bridge plate""s tang, the mounting bracket is in a deployed position and tilts the screen. When the finger locks to the base plate""s tab, the mounting bracket is retracted and the screen lies flat against the upright panel in the vehicle. The latch subassembly includes a grip-squeeze actuator. Squeezing the actuator releases the carrier plate, which is then swung to or from the base plate. Thereupon the latch subassembly""s finger locks respectively with the base plate or the bridge plate.